Managing director and 3iD founder Dave Vanhove is a 3D enthusiast from the very beginning.
He couples a professional history in mold making with enough experience as a teacher in technical education to see immediately - we're talking 20 years back - that “that new technology” had much good to offer.
Between then and now are many moments of experimentation, development and design. Of searching and of finding. The Industrial Sciences and Electromechanics students at the VTI in Zeebrugge benefited at the time, but even 'Mr. Vanhove' soon indulged in all kinds of 3D applications after school hours. At home, in the garage, he experiments with polyjet technology and Fused Deposition Modeling. Later, Multi jet fusion (MJF) technology was added. At some point, the gradually growing side business and rapidly evolving 3D printing technology force Dave to make a choice. The garage is just as much too small by then.
Exchanging a steady job as a teacher for the uncertain existence of an entrepreneur requires conviction. 3iD is a company run by a man with a clear vision. Sustainability and technological evolution are important in it, and can reinforce each other. A functional, well-made and cleverly designed 3D print is a thing of beauty.
Economic growth appears to be a prerequisite to ensure relevance, and is above all a means to continue doing what he loves: developing and making 3D printed parts in small and medium runs, for a variety of customers and in a variety of applications.
The only thing that beats 3D printed pieces is the enthusiasm with which Dave Vanhove can talk about them.
